Customer Reviews

Hoffritz Stainless-Steel Mandoline Slicer

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(44)

 

 

I really think Hoffritz is missing the boat by not selling this slicer in an infomercial. This is one kitchen gadget that really works. One feature that sets it apart is the stainless steel bowl that the slicer portion sits on. It is high quality and nearly worth the price of the slicer by itself. The rubber feet on the bottom of the bowl are effective in their designed use to prevent the bowl from wandering on the countertop as one uses the slicer on top of it. A feature that the Amazon description did not mention is the rack which holds all the blades, protecting both one's fingers and the blades. I get perfectly uniform slices of carrots and zuchini and potatoes with ease and the food holder even rides on a pair of rails on top so it can not slip off. A surprising aspect of using this slicer is that it actually makes food go further because once you see the pile of slices you can get from , for example, just one carrot , you may decide you don't want to use two. If you do slice more than you need which is easy to do because it is almost fun, the handy plastic cover snaps onto the bowl and will protect the contents well in the fridge. Hoffritz has been reknowned for fine quality blades for many years and the slicer is blessed with durable and sharp ones. Most of all this thing just oozes quality and is very satisfying and efficient to use. Factor in the time savings and how easy it is to clean , just a quick rinse usually does it although the whole thing is diswasher safe and you have great addition to any kitchen.

I used to be a chef, and I always used professional mandolinsin the kitchen, but I've never wanted to shell out [the money] to buy one for myself. I was so excited to see great reviews for a cheap mandolin-type slicer. But...

THIS PRODUCT IS CHEAP, FLIMSY, DIFFICULT TO USE, AND WASTEFUL. I tried on three occasions to slice tomates, oranges, and julience carrots. The tomatoes tore, the oranges stuck on the bottom of the slicer, and the carrots stuck in the blade.

Furthermore, the product is not nearly as safe as it seems. Because the blade is horizontal, rather than angled, it takes much more force to push the food across the blade than on a traditional or Japanese mandolin. Using the hand protector is clumsy and you have little control over the food, but if you don't use it, you run a serious risk of cutting yourself.

Buy this at your own risk. Perhaps I'm spoiled after using the real thing, but I recommend saving the money to buy a real mandolin. If you must have a mandolin, but don't want to spend the money, buy a Japanese mandolin, lay the bottom on a damp towel or a rubber jar opener, and slice away from yourself. Happy Cooking.

This provides a convenient way to slice fruits and vegetables. The blades supplied provide a medium and thin slice width (only the two fixed thicknesses), plus french-fry and thin julliene blades. The blade is sharp enough to make easy work of fruit & vegetables, and it produces very consistent slices for a gratin or french fries.The bowl upon which it snuggly rests conveniently catches all the sliced results. I've taken to leaving it on the counter with the medium slice blade attached, and use it for everyday onion, carrot and celery slicing. It takes only a little more effort to clean than the kitchen knife and cutting board I would use instead; and lots easier to clean than the food processor. (If I didn't leave it out, I might find the knife would win out for most small cutting.)

The unused blade holder doesn't hold the unused blades very snuggly at all. They rattle around and tumble out every time I move it.

Unfortunately, when mine arrived, it had what I assume was a manufacturing defect, in the form of an extra plastic bump, that prevent me from inserting the blades properly. This mostly caused confusion (and ample opportunity to grab it by that really sharp blade while wrestling with it!) I had to use a bench file to clear the path, but once fixed, it worked fine. I hope this was a rarity and just my bad luck.

Note that "stainless steel" refers to the blade and the bowl only, not the rest of the working parts, which are plastic.

I cook not only for my family, but for groups of 20 to 40 people at a time. And, although I have not used my mandolin slicer for a long time, I have to say this slicer is very good; worth much more than what they charge for it.

First, the good news. It is sharp as well it should be. The user must be very careful on how they use it, as you could easily injure yourself badly. It is easy to use and cuts the vegetables very well. It saves a lot of time in the cooking process and it is very easy to clean up. The chrome bowl with the rubber feet that hold it to the counter top is one of its really great features. Then, the plastic top that comes with the bowl is a good assist as well.

Now for the bad news. It advertises that you can julienne and make french fries; I have difficulty with this. The french fry cutter produces a product that is thinner than I am used to; sort of "wimpy" if you ask me (and you have). The julienne cutter cuts vegetables in the way it is supposed to, but the product is not a healthy julienne product, but instead a very light string that is good for light salads and garnishes. It does not make a solid julienne for vegetables that need to be cooked. This shortcoming, I feel is very important. A good julienne should be about 3/16 wide, and this is much thinner.

After reading all the wonderful reviews about how brilliant this mandoline was and looking at the saggested and sale prices I finaly gave in and ordered one for myself. Well, I guess my expectations were raised beyond reasonable by a number of raving reviews because I expected to receive some miracle but instead it turned out to be an ordinary kitchen gadget. By the time my mandoline arrived there was already several negative reviews posted on Amazon and to say the truth I had an urge to write a bad review myself after the first use, but after some practice and looking at it practically I have to say now that I can't agree with neither those who claim that this is the best and most useful tool in the kitchen that can change your life, no with those who blast it. This mandoline can find its use in the kitchen when you need to slice carots, zuccini or potatoes in very thin uniform slices. Jullien and French fry cuts are not that easy and require practice, but overall it's convenient for small jobs. Don't expect miracles, however. It still needs to be cleaned, and I am not sure how long the blade will stay sharp. I still prefer to use my Braun kitchen machine (I don't think they are available in US now). Unlike the mandoline it utilizes every little piece of the vegetable, but when I need just a few slices for a stir fry or a salad, I use this mandoline. The China made bowl is made of stainless steel but it is thin and I already have a dent on the bottom. The plastic part is of better quality. It can also be quite messy when you try to slice something unslicible like tomato or even onion, little pieces of the vegetable can get stuck in the blade and it's very difficult to get them out without a danger of being cut. It can be washed in a dishwasher, but if your dishwasher is always overloaded like mine and you already own a couple of bowls this size (about 2.5 Qt) then you may think twice whether you want to have it or not.

With a name like Hoffritz I thought this product would be a nice addition to my kitchen. Sure, it slices carrots uniformly. However, you have to first slice a carrot into four similar size pieces. Then CAREFULLY place each piece on the very sharp prongs. Then you can slice on the mandoline. A fairly time consuming process

I bought this thinking it would be much faster to use and clean than my Cuisinart. It was neither.

So, my recommendation is buy a higher quality mandoline or a Cuisinart .... or slice and dice by hand which I do unless there are large quantities. Also, I cut myself fairly severely in using it three times. I believe I am the third person to state such in their comment .... and thanks Amazon for taking it back! :-)

Q. What can you do with a mandoline that you can't do with something else?

A. Slice potatoes very thin for home-made potato chips.

This Hoffritz will do that and a lot more. You'll use it every bit enough to warrant having it around, and it doesn't take up much cabinet space.

Portugal is a favorite destination for me. There, homemakers don't buy potato chips for $4 a pound, they make their own. And no potato chip from a bag ever tasted so good as a fresh hot one. I bought a simple little mandoline slicer there and used it for years to slice potatoes for frying. It worked wonderfully. But unlike the Hoffritz, it was easy to get a finger into the blade, so if you weren't real careful it would slice fingers every bit as wonderfully as potatoes.

Reviewer Campisi below said all you need to know to give you the confidence to purchase this useful kitchen tool -- you'll rarely get a chance to get more for your money. So I'll just provide the recipe for the best potato chips ever.

Use big old firm Idaho potatoes. Not whites or reds, but Idaho spuds. And don't ever use a potato of any kind that is sprouting. Slice peeled potatoes as thin as possible with the Hoffritz. Put raw chips in a bowl of ice water for an hour or two. Drain and dump them on a towel. Dry them reasonably well.

Put slices in 380-degree olive oil one at a time, like dealing cards, to keep them from sticking together and to prevent the moisture in them from causing the oil to foam over. Why olive oil? It's healthy oil. If you prefer something else, use it.

Shuffle the fryer basket or keep the chips moving with a slotted spoon as they cook to keep them from sticking together. When a batch is golden brown spread on newspaper covered with paper towels to drain. Salt them before they disappear, then begin a new batch. Funny thing, they don't ever accumulate if there are people around.

The Hoffritz mandoline is one kitchen tool that will pay for itself in no time and let you have fun while it's doing it. I'm the only guy my friends know who makes homemade potato chips. Woe is me if there aren't any cooking when company arrives.

After reading all the wonderful reviews about how brilliant this mandoline was and looking at the saggested and sale prices I finaly gave in and ordered one for myself. Well, I guess my expectations were raised beyond reasonable by a number of raving reviews because I expected to receive some miracle but instead it turned out to be an ordinary kitchen gadget. By the time my mandoline arrived there was already several negative reviews posted on Amazon.com and to say the truth I had an urge to write a bad review myself after the first use, but after some practice and looking at it practically I have to say now that I can't agree with neither those who claim that this is the best and most useful tool in the kitchen that can change your life, no with those who blast it. This mandoline can find its use in the kitchen when you need to slice carots, zuccini or potatoes in very thin uniform slices. Jullien and French fry cuts are not that easy and require practice, but overall it's convenient for small jobs. Don't expect miracles, however. It still needs to be cleaned, and I am not sure how long the blade will stay sharp. I still prefer to use my Braun kitchen machine (I don't think they are available in US now). Unlike the mandoline it utilizes every little piece of the vegetable, but when I need just a few slices for a stir fry or a salad, I use this mandoline. The China made bowl is made of stainless steel but it is thin and I already have a dent on the bottom. The plastic part is of better quality. It can also be quite messy when you try to slice something unslicible like tomato or even onion, little pieces of the vegetable can get stuck in the blade and it's very difficult to get them out without a danger of being cut. It can be washed in a dishwasher, but if your dishwasher is always overloaded like mine and you already own a couple of bowls this size (about 2.5 Qt) then you may think twice whether you want to have it or not.

While shopping online for a mandoline, I was amazed to findsuch a product that I would actually consider buying ... I have tried the handheld ones and scraped and skinned enough knuckles and nails. I LOVE the large plastic handle (easy on the hands); the non-skid bowl (good size, too); the SHARP blades which cut almost effortlessly. No, the instructions weren't very explicit but enough to know how to get the blades in and out. What more do you need? I had read all the reviews before buying, positive and negative, but decided to try it. It is absolutely FANTASTIC and cuts everything very well. I've used slicers before but needed this product primarily for the julienne cutting for stir-frying. I wasn't disappointed either. Even the baby carrots were perfect! It may be safe for the dishwasher but I don't put any plastic or aluminum in there anyway and zippidyquick wash it by hand - no biggie...no cut fingers either when changing blades.

In the world of kitchen utensils, sometimes you truly to get what you pay for. Especially in the case of this product. Most potential buyers should realize that except for the bowl and blades, the rest of the product is plastic. And despite the fact that is bowl is supposed to be "skid-proof" it still skids. And the slicing results are completely unreliable. You might end up with a part cut perfectly and a part mangled so badly that no host or hostess in their right mind would serve them. In addition to all of this, the blades do not fit securely in the mandoline and such strength is required to slice, that is it very easy to get cut.

If your kitchen needs a mandoline, look for high quality, despite the higher price.